17. Вам предстоит прочитать и перевести предложенные тексты. Тексты распределены по вариантам. Вариант определяется по последней цифре номера Вашей зачётной книжки.

Если последняя цифра 1 или 2 – вариант №1; 3 или 4 - № 2; 5 или 6 - № 3; 7 или 8 - № 4; 9 или 0 - № 5.

Вариант 1 who are the british

1. Most people are English, Scottish or Welsh, but in some British cities you can meet people of many different nationalities. But is Britain a cosmopolitan society? It really depends on where you go. In 1991 5.5 per cent of the 57 million population described themselves as belonging to an ethnic minority. Most members of ethnic minorities live in the South – East. In Greater London, they represent 20 per cent of the population.

2. People have been coming to Britain for centuries: some to get a better life, some to escape natural disasters, some as political or religious refugees. Many Irish people came to England in 1845 to escape famine¹, but usually they came to find work. Most of the roads, railways and canals built in the nineteenth century were made by Irish workers.

3. The greatest wave of immigration was in the 1950’s and 1960’s. This happened not only in Britain but also throughout Western Europe. Many companies needed people for unskilled or semi–skilled jobs. Britain advertised² particularly in the English – speaking islands of the Caribbean, for² people to come to Britain and work. Other people came from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Hong Kong.

4. The number of people asking to settle in Britain is rising, but Britain, since 1971, has reduced the number of people (coming from outside Europe) which it allows to stay. Many people in Britain, in spite of anti – racist – laws, blame unemployment and poor housing³ on “immigrants”.

Пояснения к тексту:

1. зд. – не умереть с голода

2. зд. – приглашать через рекламу

3. зд. – плохое жилье

Прочитайте 4-й абзац и вопрос к нему. Из приведенных вариантов ответа укажите номер предложения, содержащего правильный ответ на поставленный вопрос:

Why has Britain reduced the number of people coming from outside Europe which it allows to stay?

1. … because of unemployment.

2. … because of unemployment and poor housing.

Вариант 2

British homes

1. About 80 per cent of British people live in houses built close together. Detached houses are usually in expensive suburbs, quite far from the town centre. Terraced houses and blocks of flats are mostly found in town centers. They can either be very small two-storey houses with one or two bedrooms or large houses with three or five floors and four or five bedrooms.

2. About 67 per cent of people in Britain own their houses or flats. Most of the rest live in rented accommodation. People in Britain buy houses or flats because there is not enough rented accommodation and what there is can be expensive.

3. Council flats¹ and houses are built and owned by the local council. After the Second World War a lot of council flats, known as tower blocks, were constructed. Some were as high as 20 storeys and so badly built that they had to be pulled down only thirty years later.

4. Modern housing estates² are built differently now. There might be a mixture of two-storey terraced houses together with a four-storey block of flats. There are play areas for children and there is often a community centre³ where people who live on the estate can meet.

5. Since 1980’s council tenants have been able⁴ to buy their own homes very cheaply if they have lived in them for over two years. By 1993, 1,5 million council houses had been sold, but only 5000 council houses or flats were built to replace them. This means that it is now very difficult to find cheap housing or rent.

6. Most British houses have a garden and many British people spend a lot of time in it. Most gardens, even small ones, have flowers and a lawn. If you don’t have a garden, it is possible to grow flowers and vegetables on at allotment⁵ which is a piece of land rented from the local council.

Пояснения к тексту:

1. муниципальное жилье

2. микрорайон

3. центр общения

4. зд. – жители могут

5. зд. – участок

Прочитайте 6-й абзац и письменно ответьте на вопрос:

Where can British people grow flowers if they have no gardens?

Ответ:

Вариант 3

LONDON

1. London is where the invading Romans first crossed the River Thames. They built a city a square mile in size, surrounded it with a wall and called it Londinium. This original site of London is now called the City of London¹ and is Britain’s main financial centre.

2. The City is only a very small part of London. In the eleventh century London began to expand beyond the City walls when King Edward the Confessor² built a huge abbey at Westminster. Even today, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the shops, cafes, theatres and cinemas of the West End, are in the City of Westminster and not in the City of London.

3. The saying “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” (Dr. Johnson) is a cliche, but you can’t be bored³ in London. There are hundreds of historic buildings, galleries and museums. There are parks and street markets, over 80 theatres and even more cinemas.

4. If you want to discover London, it is best to start with a tour on a sightseeing bus. It is also fun to go on a guided walk. The walks last up to three hours.

5. The centre of London has many different areas. Each one has its own special character. Covent Garden⁴ in London West End, is crowded with cafes, clubs and clothes shops. Soho⁴ is also known for its clubs. Knightsbridge⁴ has a lot of exclusive and expensive shops, as well as many of the embassies. Fleet Street⁴ is the home of Law Courts. One part of the West End has so many Chinese shops and restaurants that is called Chinatown.

6. When you go outside the centre you find many areas which used to be small villages. The villages became part of the city when they expanded but they still managed to keep their village character. Hampstead⁴, the best known of the villages, is extremely expensive.

Пояснения к тексту:

1. Сити

2. король Эдвард

3. зд. – не заскучаешь

4. названия

Прочитайте 5-й абзац текста и письменно ответьте на вопрос:

What is called Chinatown?

Ответ:

Вариант 4